Francis A. Pascarella

In loving memory of Francesco (Frank) Pascarella, fondly referred to as Poppy, who died peacefully on August 5th, 2024 at Mally Transitional Care in Northglenn, Colorado at the age of 94.

Frank is survived by his children: daughter, Roseanne (Harry) Tripp of Atlanta, GA, and four step-sons, George (Nettie) Schlauder of West Haven, CT, Louis Schlauder of Sidney, NE, Ronald Schlauder of Fort Collins, CO, and Robert (Connie) Schlauder of Westminster, CO. He had sixteen grandchildren: Jeff Schlauder, Jennifer (Jeremy) Fleeman, Kim (John) Myers, Brandon Schlauder, Keith (Donna) Schlauder, Chris (Mimma) Schlauder, Eric Schlauder, Justin (Amy) Schlauder, Eve (Jason) Schurr, Robert (Nicole) Schlauder, Caitlin (Andrew) Murphy, Harry Jr. (Jennifer) Tripp, Jason (Meagan) Tripp, Jeremy (Anne) Tripp, Frank the 3rd Pascarella and Christine Pascarella. He had seventeen great grandkids two great-great grandkids and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is Preceded in death by his five siblings, Christine Albano, Vincent Pascarella, Clifford Pascarella, Sallyann Dixon, Rosemarie Keyes, his son Frank Jr., Ex-wife Janet Mason, and daughter-in-law Carol Schlauder, grandsons Shaune Moore, and Brian Peiffer and great granddaughter Brittany Peiffer, in addition to Phyllis Elizabeth Pascarella, his loving wife of 50 years.

He was born in New Haven, Connecticut on July 26th, 1930 to Anna Cutillo and Clemente Pascarella. He served in the United States Army, Married Phyllis (Handy) in 1968 and they moved to Colorado in 1969. He worked as a plumber for Tony Capra Plumbing and Heating. When he retired he drove the train at Lake Loveland.

Poppy was a lighthearted, funny, generous man. Everything was a joke, he was rarely serious. He let trouble and issues that would stress most others roll off of his back – possibly aided by his selective hearing. Yogis spend their lives searching for inner peace, but Poppy created his own in spades. He was handy and helpful, smart and quick witted. He was a great family member.

Many of us thought his name was Francis because that is what Phyllis called him when she was chastising him. They were always play-fighting and picking on each other. Poppy had an easygoing sense of humor and made light of most every situation. Sometimes Gram and Poppy actually did drive each other a bit mad, probably to be expected over the course of a relationship as long as theirs. Many of us who were subjected to their running banter can now look back fondly at those memories. He was a wonderful grandpa. He used to take Sunday drives to go for lunch in little mountain towns or to explore new attractions and often brought grandkids along for the ride. Some of us have fond memories of Tiny Town in Morrison, or that metal monster museum near Fort Collins - The Swetsville Zoo, and numerous other oddball attractions. Some of us got to enjoy riding alpine slides in Estes Park, Winter Park, and at Heritage Square on outings with Poppy and Gram. Many also got to go enjoy ice cream with them as well which was a common outing for them.

He was a man of few words when he wanted to be, and boisterous at other times -mostly he repeated the same few jokes and ancient catch phrases or told you to get out from in front of the tv. He always sang along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Roger Miller, and many of his other favorites. Sometimes he would surprise us by missing lyrics to songs we knew he had heard probably hundreds of times – though he faked it smoothly, so it was hard to notice. He had a nice voice; Sinatra would have been proud.

He was a great cook. His homemade spaghetti sauce with fried dough, breaded chicken cutlets, and scratch made broth with tiny dot pasta Acini de Pepe will all be sorely missed. He always asked how many cheese raviolis each person wanted, and it mattered whether they were square or round. He made big breakfasts with silver dollar pancakes many weekends. He loved enjoying food with family. His home was always open to anyone and it made him so happy to host others.

He was generous. Poppy acted insulted when someone tried to pay for dinner. He bought many of us frequent meals out. He taught many of us Poker, Rummy, Pinocle, and Solitaire. He loved playing cards and gambling on the penny machines in Black Hawk. He was also a fantastic golfer and was a member of the Highland Hills Golf Course. He often told a story about an Italian golf tournament he participated in where he got to play with Perry Como. He liked an eclectic mix of things like the Dollar Tree, sweet red wines, the NY Yankees and Giants – all things that will remind us of him for the rest of our lives.

He left a huge legacy and made us all better from knowing him. He will be remembered fondly and dearly missed.